Common name: Douglas-fir
Fruit/seeds: Douglas-fir’s cones hang down,
unlike a true fir where cones stand upright
on the branch like a perched bird. They are
3-4 inches long, reddish-brown and oval
shaped with thin papery scales. They are
known for their 3 forked- looking bracts that
extend beyond the cone’s scales. These bracts
resemble mice hiding their head in the cone.
Look for their hind feet and tails!
Branches, twigs and buds: When a needle is
removed, the twigs are smooth—the twigs
do not have pegs. The buds are next year’s leaves or shoots and are located at
the end of the branch. Douglas-fir buds vary in size from small to large, are
covered with brown scales, and are pointed at the tip like an arrow.
Scientific name: Pseudotsuga menziesii
(pronounced SOO - DO - SOO - GA
MEN - ZEE - SEE - EYE)
Cool tree facts: Douglas-fir is Oregon’s state tree. Its name honors David
Douglas—the famous botanist. Its Latin name, Pseudotsuga, means “false
hemlock” and the second name, “menziesii” honors Archibald Menzies, who
discovered the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791.
Size and appearance: Douglas-fir can be a very large tree, sometimes up to
250 feet tall. The trunk can be quite large, sometimes exceeding 10 feet in
diameter. They have a triangular shape to their crown and the top point of
the tree stands straight.
Bark: Older trees have a wide base and narrow trunk that is covered with
very thick, brown bark along with very deep cracks or crevices. Some people
think it looks like bacon. Young Douglas-firs have thin, grayish-brown bark
that contains sap or pitch blisters that can burst if you push on them. Their
bark is fire resistant
Leaves/needles: The needles are flat, and all are about the same length (1 inch
long) with a slightly pointed tip. There is a groove on the upper surface and
two white lines on the underside. They are spirally arranged, looking similar
to a bottle brush.
Wildlife: Birds and other small animals use
the Douglas-fir for homes, shade and shelter.
Porcupine eat the sweet inner bark of younger
trees in the winter, and bear will eat the inner
bark in the spring. Squirrels, chipmunks and
birds eat the seeds from the cones. The red
tree vole eats its needles year round.
People: Douglas-fir is known as the tree of 1,000 uses. It
provides more products than any other tree in the world! It can
be turned into poles, beams and boards to construct houses and
buildings. It can be chipped up to make paper. The sap can
be turned into glues and photo supplies. It is also the nation’s
most popular Christmas tree.
How does it help the forest environment?: Because they are evergreen, the
trees’ leaves allow them to photosynthesize and provide oxygen year round.
They provide shade to plants and animals and hold moisture for grounddwelling plants. As dead trunks decompose, they add nutrients to the soil.
Where it grows: Douglas firs love to grow in full sunlight and thrive in the
moist and rainy climate of Oregon. They grow in the valleys and up in the
mountains.
Common name: Western Redcedar
Fruit/seeds: Cones are woody and about ½ inch
long. The cones are clustered near the ends of
twigs and bend backwards on the branch. When
open, they look like tiny rosebuds. Cones average
about three to six seeds, but there are often many
cones.
Branches, twigs and buds:
The branches of leaves
appear flattened in fanlike sprays, drooping
slightly. Twigs are scaly and typically green or
brown in color.
Scientific name: Thuja plicata
(pronounced THOO - YA PLI - KAH - TUH)
Cool tree facts: This is the kind of tree one would seek during a rain
storm! The dense branches form a nice roof that sheds rain and keeps the
ground dry. ‘Thuja’ comes from a Greek word for highly prized scented
wood. The word ‘plicata’ means folded or interwoven for the arrangement
of the twigs or scale-like leaves or possibly the long stringy bark. Strong
winds can easily knock it down due to its shallow roots. Of Oregon’s
native conifers, western redcedar and western hemlock seedlings grow
the slowest.
Size and appearance: These trees can be quite large, growing up to 200
feet tall and 10 feet in diameter. They have a triangular-shaped crown and
the leaves look droopy.
Bark: The trunk often looks like it has a swollen
base. The bark is thin, stringy (shaggy) and varies in
thickness from ½ inch to 1 inch.
Leaves/needles: Leaves are scaly and green above.
Look at the underside of the leaves for a butterfly or a
bow-tie pattern.
Wildlife: Western redcedar is eaten by deer
and elk. Bear eat the inner bark on young trees.
Hollowed trunks provide homes for nesting
birds and mammals. The large, thick branches
provides cooling shade for fish in streams and
many animals trying to escape summer heat.
People: This
tree was known as the tree of life to the
Coastal Native tribes of Oregon. It was used
historically to make lodges, boats, tools and
utensils. The bark was used to make clothes,
diapers, ropes and fishing nets. Today we use
it to make shingles, house siding, poles, posts,
fencing, greenhouse equipment, boats and
outdoor decks.
How does it help the forest environment?: Because they are evergreen,
the trees’ leaves allow them to photosynthesize and provide oxygen
year round. They provide shade to plants and animals. As dead trunks
decompose, they add nutrients to the soil.
Where it grows: The seedlings grow in partial shade, but large trees can
survive in full sunlight.
Common name: Red alder
Fruit/seeds: Fruits of this tree are small,
woody and cone-like—called strobiles
(STROHB-EYE-L). They are the only
deciduous trees that have “cones”. Its flowers
are called catkins. They are long (4-6 inches),
drooping, and reddish in color.
Branches, twigs and buds: The young twigs, when
rolled between your fingers, have three distinct
sides like a triangle. They are not circular like most
twigs.
Scientific name: Alnus rubra
(pronounced AHL - NUS ROO - BRUH)
Cool tree facts: Red alder is the most common broadleaf tree in western
Oregon. It is a very fast growing tree. If the bark was cut with a sharp tool,
the inner bark would turn rusty red when exposed to air, hence the name
“red” alder. Northwest Indian children used to play sick by chewing the inner
bark because the bark juice made their saliva turn as red as blood.
Size and appearance: Can grow up to 3 feet in diameter. Large trees can be
as tall as 120 feet and have a single trunk.
Bark: The bark of the alder tree can range from a white to grayish color.
Younger bark is a greenish color. The bark is usually very smooth to the
touch.
Leaves/needles: The leaves of red alder grow
alternately on the branch, are about 3-6 inches
long, egg-shaped with a pointed tip at the end,
and have “teeth” along the edges. The leaves are
dark green above and a light green to rusty color
below. The tree sheds its leaves each fall. The
veins of the leaf are very straight.
Wildlife: Alders provide shade over
streams which keeps water cool—essential
for fish since cooler water holds more
oxygen. When alder leaves fall in autumn,
insects quickly go to work shredding them
into food. The leaves are eaten by deer
and elk, and dense thickets of trees create
hiding cover for many kinds of animals. Elk also use this tree to rub the
velvet off of their antlers. Beaver love to cut these trees down to eat the bark
and build lodges and dams with the wood.
People: Because it grows big fast, it is an important tree for people. It is very
strong and highly shock resistant as a beam or post. Large logs are valued for
cabinets, furniture, flooring, and pallet lumber. Small logs are used for carved
wooden toys, or firewood or pulp to make paper. Its drawback is that it can
decay when in contact with weather and soil.
How does it help the environment?: Alders shed their leaves while they are
still green and therefore return many nutrients directly into the soil. The
leaves capture nitrogen from the air and send it down to bacteria-filled
packets in the roots. There, the soil is fertilized by the tree. Because of this
ability, foresters plant red alder in Douglas-fir forests to help soil recover
from diseased trees and for a natural fertilizer. Roots of the trees also hold
banks and soil in place reducing erosion.
Where it grows: Alder likes to “get its feet wet”. Everywhere it grows, it
is associated with water. Alder like cool, moist sites, and you will often
see them line the sides of the rivers, streams and creeks of Oregon in the
lowlands. They can grow in dark forests or on open sunny hillsides.
Common name: Western Hemlock
Fruit/seeds: Hemlock have small, woody,
reddish-brown, egg-shaped cones (about 1
inch long). The cones have numerous thin,
smooth scales and hang at the end of the
branches. Some trees have large numbers
of cones all over the tree.
Branches, twigs and buds: Twigs are
slender, flexible, and are not smooth due
to pegs on the surface of the branches. Pegs
Peg
are small and may be hard to see. Buds are
practically invisible until just prior to new
needle growth.
Scientific name: Tsuga heterophylla
(pronounced SOO-GA HET-ER-AH-FIL-UH)
Cool tree facts: Western hemlock is Washington’s state tree. ‘Tsu-ga’
is the Japanese word for “tree”, and heterophylla refers to the different
sizes of leaves. Strong winds can easily topple this tree due to its shallow
roots.
Size and appearance: It can grow to
a height of 200 feet tall and 4 feet in
diameter. This is a triangular-shaped tree
with drooping branches. The very tip top
of the tree flops over. Because of these
unique features, western hemlock is easy
to identify from a distance.
Drooping Leader
Bark: The bark is very thin, under 1 inch
thick and scaly, ranging from a brown to gray color. The inner bark is
dark red with streaks of purple. Because of its thin bark, bugs and disease
can easily attack it.
Leaves/needles: Leaves are flat needles of several different sizes (¼ to ¾
inches long) and have rounded tips. They are a yellow to green color on
the top surface and have 2 white lines underneath. Needles extend around
the entire surface of the twig, looking similar to a bottle brush. However,
in most cases of western hemlock, the needles look like they have been
flattened.
Wildlife: Elk and deer eat western hemlock
in coastal Oregon. In the Oregon Cascades,
mice eat the cone’s seeds. Black bears eat
the sweet inner bark. Rabbits clip off the main stems of western hemlock
seedlings. Western hemlock trees provide hiding and protective cover for
many wildlife species. Many birds make holes and nest in the standing
trunks of rotting wood.
People: The wood is great for building purposes (plywood and boards),
and it makes excellent pulp for paper production (newsprint, books,
magazines and tissue paper). Gym floors are often made of hemlock
because the wood hardens with age. It is commonly used for doors,
window frames, parts of staircases, and ladders.
How does it help the forest environment?: Because they are evergreen,
their leaves allow them to photosynthesize and produce oxygen year
round. They provide shade to plants and animals. As dead trunks
decompose, they add nutrients to the soil.
Where it grows: Western hemlock seeds can sprout easily and grow
on the decaying wood of stumps and nurse logs. This gives hemlock a
growing advantage over most other conifers in the area. They love to
grow in rainy and foggy areas and do not mind growing in the shade.
Common name: Vine Maple
Fruit/seeds: The winged seeds are
called samaras (SUH-MAHR-UH)
and they look like a helicopter
coming in for a landing when they drop from the tree. When the seeds are
young, they are rosy red and eventually brown with age. They are joined
in pairs forming a ‘V’ shape. Flowers are small, and reddish or purple.
Branches, twigs and buds: The twigs and branches grow opposite from
each other. The surface of the twigs is very smooth and colors can range
from green to brown to red. Buds are dark red and are found at the end of
the twig in pairs and look like deer hooves.
Wildlife: Deer and elk love to eat the leaves of
vine maple. Birds and small mammals enjoy the
seeds.
Scientific name: Acer circinatum
(pronounced AY - SER
SER - SIN - AY - TUM)
Cool tree facts: The crooked look of the tree and the fact that it can
occasionally grow along the ground adds to the ‘vine’ in its common name.
‘Acer’ is the Latin word for a maple tree; “circinatum” refers to the circular
shape of the leaves.
Size and appearance: These ‘trees’ are actually more like shrubs. They are
never more than 35 feet tall and may have more than one trunk coming
from the same location in the ground.
Bark: The bark is very smooth and generally has a pale green color when
young, turning reddish-brown or gray with age. It is thin, smooth, and
may have shallow cracks at the base of the tree when older.
M
Leaves or needles: Leaves are oppositely
E
arranged on the twig. In the fall, they turn
bright red, orange and yellow and eventually fall
from the tree. The leaves are circular, usually
have nine lobes or points around the edges. You N
can remember this by using the lobes to spell
out: V-I-N-E-M-A-P-L-E
I
People: Historically, American Indians used vine
maple wood to frame scoop nets for catching
salmon and to make bows, snowshoes, cradle
frames, firewood, and cooking tools. The bark was boiled to make a tea
for colds. Branches were used for cradle swings. Today, the trunk of this
little tree just does not get big enough for the lumber industry. However,
it is prized for its spectacular fall
colors of red, yellow and orange,
and is therefore planted for
landscaping in gardens and around
homes to make yards and parks
look pretty.
How does it help the forest
environment?: As leaves drop from the tree, they decompose and add
nutrients to the soil. They provide shade to plants below and release
oxygen through photosynthesis.
A
P
L
E
V
Where it grows: This tree likes moist or wet areas. It grows generally
under other trees where some sunlight can filter through to the forest
floor. It can also grow in openings and forest edges with direct sunlight.
It sprouts in huge numbers in recently logged or burned areas.